The Dragonborn
A Singularity “So, you’ve come after-all? The miracle born of this world, a dragon born from a human; he who can eventually become a great king. The life that should be despised by all….the world’s first demigod, Bathory Tabart!!!” Tabart’s eyes shot open as he leaned forward from his chair, breathing in rhythm with his beating heart. It was that same dream; that same memory that appeared. He hadn’t been older than fifteen when he was summoned. It wasn’t often that the elders called upon a member of the Castilla y Leon household. He had thought he was in trouble, but it was far from that. He was expected to do something no other dragon had been able to do since the founding of the World Government. They said it was his purpose. No, it was an inescapable destiny that he was born with. In fact, it was the reason he existed at all. He didn’t think much of it then, but now, he wondered how pleased they were with him. It wasn’t normal for him to want to visit the Holy Land, which was odd considering it was a paradise above all paradises. However, for Tabart, it was a reminder that he was destined to accomplish something more than he expected out of himself. Maybe it was something he didn’t even want to accomplish, but he had no other option. There wasn’t a person in this world who could defy the World Government; the wishes of the elders. If they spoke it, then it became reality, as if it was decreed by the heavens themselves. Maybe it really was the heavens? Maybe they really were gods? Isn’t that what it meant to be gods? Omniscient, all powerful? With their treasure, there wasn’t a person in this world that could usurp them. Not since they stole it from the Great Kingdom that long ago. The only thing that kept them from truly ascending was the fact that the Ope Ope no Mi slipped from the crevices of their grip so long ago. That was the highest priority for them: reobtaining that fruit. He exhaled deeply, calming himself. This was a simple vacation, and a chance to meet with his family before the eventual wedding. They knew he was coming. They knew everything, but he couldn’t let that linger any longer. He stood up from his desk, and left his office door, stationed in a massive ship forged from the best material the world could offer. “Frida!” Tabart called out, knocking on a door that was at the opposite end of the corridor. “You awake?” The door creaked open to reveal Frida, eyes half shut as she tried to rub the sleep away from them. She had obviously just woken up, as she wore only a negligee and her hair was slightly disheveled. Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she crossed her arms and looked up to Tabart. "Y-yeah, I've been up for like, an hour..." She lied. "What do you need?" Tabart smiled. "Nothing really, just wanted to see if you were up is all. I fell asleep in my office," he continued, moving past her obvious fib; it was a lie designed to make him feel better about waking her up anyway. There was no need to probe. Tabart stepped into the room, and sat at the edge of the bed, pulling his shoes off his feet. "I think we're supposed to be at the red line in the morning. We'll probably get to Mary Geoise by 10 am." "Good." Frida said... another lie. She moved her hand down her side, using her index finger to outline the raised scar that she had on her abdomen. She felt her throat begin to burn as though she wanted to say something, but she knew that she couldn't; this was Tabart's occasion, and her resentments were going to have to wait until after. Frida nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window that looked out over the sea. "Now that is a lie I can't ignore, Frida," Tabart replied as he turned around to face her. He caught a glimpse of her hand. "I know, I'm being selfish. You can say it." "Selfish is such a harsh word, Tabby." Frida said, refusing to break the contact that her eyes had with the ocean horizon. Frida knew that she would give anything to see her family again, and Tabart probably felt the same way. It was time for her to realize that even though she had her reservations, Tabart had more to live for than just her. Tabart opened his mouth, but there were no words that came to mind. What could he say to ease her spirit? She had spent a significant portion of her life under the rule of greasy, slimy cowards. They toyed with her, fed her a fruit to turn her into some sort of freak. Hell, and Tabart didn't know anything about it. He could never bring himself to ask her. How could he? He was born of the same blood as her captors. What could be worse? The fact that he hid it from her. The fact that she found out when Abel alerted them to it. He didn't even have the guts to tell her his true identity. "I..." Tabart stopped again. "Listen, there isn't anything in this world more important to me than you and James. While we're there, I won't let anything happen to you, you know? If one of them bastards try anything, I'll cut them dead!" With soft eyes, Frida let out a small huff of air as she smiled lightly. She turned towards Tabart and placed her hand on his and simply nodded. There wasn't much more to say, really. Only time would tell how well her wounds had healed over time, so she decided to spend her time dwelling on other things. "Thanks Tab..." Frida smiled. Tabart nodded, and stood up from the edge of the bed. "Get some more sleep. We still have a few hours before we arrive." Frida slightly nodded in response, but instead of laying back down she once more turned her head to the window to look out at the sea. As Tabart left the room, she let out a deep sigh that seemed to move along with the waves. Dragon's Den As Tabart and Frida disembarked from their ship, they were greeted by a man and a woman in white suits. The man was relatively tall, stoic. He stood firm. The woman was much shorter, with green hair and eyes. She was much more ecstatic to be performing her duties. They were obviously members of CP-0. "Welcome home Saint Tabart," said the woman as the two agents bowed. "I hope you had a safe journey. This must be Frida, your blushing bride to be. Oh she's so cute I could just eat her up!" Her toothy grin showed her sharpened teeth. The man elbowed her. "You're right, too familiar. Anyways, allow us to escort you to your quarters." "Um..It's not Saint," Tabart corrected immediately, his tone almost nervous. "Saint are virtuous people, those who go to a good place after death, but am I dead? Is this world of our creation not our sacred place?" Tabart paused. "Anyway, I wanted to be a saint at one point, but then my aunt threw me off the red-line. So..um, yeah. Tabart is good enough, I think.." He glanced back, looking as the entourage behind him accompanied them, grabbing suitcases of their clothes as well as the nurses and caretakers moving alongside their two year old son, Benjamin James. As if upon instinct, he hurried towards his parents, stitching himself between them. As Tabart hurried past them, Zy shrugged, turning to walk behind her charge. The CP-0 agents stayed close by. They knew he was strong, but they were instructed to not let him out of their sight. As Zy walked behind Tabart, she couldn't help but admire his features. His luxurious, purple hair, his well-toned muscles, his glistening skin, and his choice of wardrobe wasn't half bad either. She licked her lips. Lester elbowed her again. "Oh my god, what!?" Lester just stared at her. "What can I say? He's the complete package." Frida stood silent and stoic, although her eyes drilled into Zy's skull as she moved behind Tabart and stared at him. Frida quickly scooped up James in her arms and hurried to catch up with Tabart. Tabart turned around. "Huh? What was that, Agent Zy?" "Nothing, nothing," Zy said, chipper as ever, "just thinking out loud." Lester rolled his eyes. Tabart nodded, brushing off Zy's statement as just informal conversation. She probably talked to herself a lot; he had heard that Agent Lester was someone of few words. But, so far, he was a man of literally no words. He turned around again. "Wait, um...Does he talk?" Zy's eyes darted back and forth between Lester and Tabart for a few moments, before speaking, finally settling on Tabart's magnificent visage. "Only to me." She started to whisper, "he's a little shy." "Oh, um...okay!" Tabart replied. "So I take it that you're the more assertive one?" Her lips curled into a devilish grin. "You could say that." She gave him a wink. Tabart blinked, his face flushed with a gentle red, before sharply turning back around. "Oh, okay then! Hahaha!" he chuckled awkwardly, attempting to break the fraught silence with...well, he didn't know what. Anything; noise of any kind. "Frida!" he finally managed, "You're going to love the family manor. It's enormous, you know!" "I'm not certain if there's time a tour Lord Tabart," said Zy, "another of the World Nobles has requested your presence."